From the chairperson’s desk Happy New Year and welcome to our first edition of the monthly Goat Breeders Association of Zimbabwe Newsletter. One of the highlights of 2023 was the third edition of the Goat Breeders Association of Zimbabwe Goat Indaba and junior course training which was held at the Bulawayo Agricultural society, ZITF under the theme " Priming the Zimbabwean goat market for export". This theme was chosen as there is an appetite for export by Zimbabwean goat breeders. Zimbabwe as a country has a huge potential to exploit the vast opportunities that exist in both the local and export markets. Delegates were inspired by some of the presentations at the Indaba and have gone as far as organising themselves into export clusters. GBAZ will be working in collaboration with Zimtrade and AFC bank to formalise the export cluster model. Besides the export theme , another theme that emerged was that of a collective and collaborative approach to growing the goat industry. We are looking forward to forging some great alliances and collaborations with some key partners such as the leather tanning industry. The junior course training was facilitated by Kobus Lotter, President of the South African Boergoat Breeders Association. We are delighted to announce that 72% of the candidates passed and were awarded the junior certificate. Congratulations! The 2024 Goat Indaba and junior course will be held in Harare. Date and venue to be advised in due course. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors, partners and events and training committee for organising a successful Goat Indaba day and junior course training. Wishing you all a happy and productive 2024! ISSUE #01 Sifiso Agbetorwoka COMMERCIALISING GOAT BREEDING TO TRANSFORM THE TRADITIONAL GOAT INDUSTRY
THE 3RD GOAT INDABA AND JUNIOR COURSE The Goat Breeders Association of Zimbabwe (GBAZ) is dedicated to improving goat breeding and production in Zimbabwe. We recently held the 3rd Goat Indaba and junior course with the theme of 'Priming the Zimbabwean Goat Market for Export'. The event included speakers and panelists sharing knowledge on successful exporting, global markets for goat meat, and the importance of associating with fellow farmers. Mrs Sifiso Agbetorwoka, the Chairperson of GBAZ, opened the event with a tribute to the late Christopher Beefy Grant, a pioneer of Kalahari reds in Zimbabwe. Speakers like Mr Kobus Lotter President of the South African Boer Goat Association shared valuable insights on goat breeding and the importance of crossbreeding with exotic goats to improve indigenous breeds. The event highlighted the need for Zimbabwe to produce goat meat in large volumes to meet the demands of the export market. The Goat Breeders Association of Zimbabwe (GBAZ) has made it a mandate to improve goat breeding and production in Zimbabwe. Quoting from the constitution, the association aims at promoting the production of goat breeding in Zimbabwe. They also took it upon themselves to increase and stimulate knowledge of goat production by organising meetings, field courses, etc. On the 27th to the 29th of October, GBAZ held the 3rd Goat Indaba and the junior course which ran under the theme ‘Priming the Zimbabwean Goat Market for Export’. The focus was to prepare the Zimbabwean market for export. It was an educational event which took place in Bulawayo at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF). COMMERCIALISING GOAT BREEDING TO TRANSFORM THE TRADITIONAL GOAT INDUSTRY
There was a number of speakers and panellist to share their experience and also educate farmers on how best we can prepare the Zimbabwean market for export. The event was opened by the Chairlady of the association, Mrs Sifiso Agbetorwoka who started by remembering one of our own colleagues, the father and pioneer of Kalahari reds in Zimbabwe, the late Christopher Beefy Grant of Mzilikazi Reds. He was the vice president of GBAZ in the Matabeleland region. He also held goat trainings sharing his experience in keeping goats. He was also headlined to be a panellist and speak during the Goat Indaba but unfortunately his life was short lived. He passed on but his teachings and legacy lives on. May he continue rest in power. The speaker from Zimtrade shared notes on what it takes to become a successful exporter and also shared the global markets for goat meat. As a solo farmer, you won’t be able to meet and satisfy demand of the export market hence the importance of associating with fellow farmers. In their presentation, they listed USA and the UAE countries as the largest importers of goat meat in the 2022. Before exporting our live goats or meat, we have to look for market, identify competition in the market and also gather market intelligence looking at how much they consume, paperwork required exporting and importing into a certain country. COMMERCIALISING GOAT BREEDING TO TRANSFORM THE TRADITIONAL GOAT INDUSTRY We had invited the President of the South African Boer goat association, Mr Kobus lotter. He shared his knowledge in goat breeding and taught farmers on how to identify pure/stud goat breeds. Zimbabwe has been importing exotic goats like the Boer and the Kalahari from South Africa and Namibia. The purpose of importing these goats is to improve our indigenous goats through the process of cross breeding. Our local goats i.e., the Matabele and the Mashona breeds have small body frames compared to the exotic goats. As we prime the Zimbabwean goat market for export market, it is essential to produce meat in large volumes. The junior course is practical and Mr Kobus engaged with the farmers showing them what a pure Boer / Kalahari buck is expected to look like. According to him, when judging these goats, they look at the body frame, feet, behind, neck, herd and colouring. Mr Kobus lotter invited local farmers to attend their courses and learn more about the Boer/Kalahari/savanna. Another reason for having the goat indaba and the junior course was to attract more people into joining the association People from all over the country came in numbers to witness history in the making. We had farmers coming for the goat indaba only and some coming for both the goat indaba and the junior course. We also got other farmers who joined the association.
Mr Kobus Lotter in action COMMERCIALISING GOAT BREEDING TO TRANSFORM THE TRADITIONAL GOAT INDUSTRY Farmers around the country were invited to bring their goats for judging and there was a number of farmers who brought their goats. We received goats from Tapela farm, Bulembe farm, Ndwangu farm, NKN farm, Eland Zakithi farm just to mention a few. These goats where also during the practical side of the course. By Bridget Sibanda The Tall Tale of the Accidental Goat Farmer Herd sire, code named Mandela, 15 months, son of Spilpunt, Junior Reserve Champion in 2021, stud graded and 5 generation bloodlines. A year prior to COVID, I accidentally joined a Goat Breeders Group, as a spectator, rather than intending to invest in goat farming. I was also watching the SA record shattering Boer goat auction prices and was curious on investment payback strategies of these SA breeders. In 2020, during COVID, the penny dropped and decided to kick start the goat farming project as distraction from lock down stress. et rich quick was the motive.
COMMERCIALISING GOAT BREEDING TO TRANSFORM THE TRADITIONAL GOAT INDUSTRY As a risk adverse person, I was acutely aware that we had little or no knowledge of goats. I knew we had to invest in training, namely, genetics, nutrition and goat management. I attended Pieter Smith’s online goat breeding courses which were extremely invaluable, this training still influences my goat management style today. On top of that I had a mental kill or abort switch for the project, premised on two variables, either, loss of the pure buck (code named Boris) and/or 40% local goat losses. Even today, I still have a secretly modified version to guide my decision making in unforeseen “force majeure” moments. In goat farming there are three main strategies, meat, stud and milk production. As a novice farmer, I discounted the opportunities of the later due to herd mentality syndrome. In reality, for meat, I knew did not have enough land, so stud breeding was my natural default selection. The Boer goat appealed to me as well given its size and distinctive pigmentation. Plus, the superior SA auction values re-enforced this view. Admittedly, I was forewarned that the Boer goats were extremely fussy and demanding, weirdly, this challenge appealed to me (#head strong tendencies). My advice to farmers is that they need to be clear what their strategic direction looks like from a mental model perspective. This will inform the investments the farmer will need to make in goats, e.g., a stud breeder will have an appetite to buy an expensive buck with good genetic bloodlines, whereas, a commercial farmer may want a cheap buck with a big frame without paying too much attention on the genetic profile of the buck. Some of our synchronised pregnant ewes enjoying our farm made pellets. In goat farming, nutrition makes up 50% of the breed, we obsess over nutrition.
The 30 Mashona we bought were strictly managed in line with Boer goat breeding practices, in respect to % feeding values, high value pastures, weight data analysis, vaccinations etc. This was important for my team to understand and embed the quality standards we wanted for the project. A year later, we sold all the Mashona does and their F1 kids to a diaspora consortium. I leveraged the funds to repay my initial investment and used the remainder to pivot into pure Boer farming. The transition for us was easy given we had already embedded some the key management practices with our Mashona goats. As novice and knew I had to stand of the shoulders of established giants within the industry. The advice I got from these mentors was super amazing. I would strongly advise new farmers to woo a mentor. Trust me, there are so many “giants” out there. Get your strategy in order and leverage support from your mentor to unblock sticky points. We have a growth strategy premised on holding onto breeding females and selling off all buck weaners at 6 months (salvage value). Currently, we hold 40 pregnant pure Boer females that were synchronised to align with June kidding. On average our kidding ratio is 160% (not a happy Chappy) with a male to female ratio of 50/50. Our projection is that we will sire about 60 kids in 2024. Our plan is to critically self review our inventory of Boer does to ensure we hold 50 high quality breeding females, with a 40%,40% and 20%, stud, pedigree and commercial grading mix, respectively, by end of 2024 as parent stock. COMMERCIALISING GOAT BREEDING TO TRANSFORM THE TRADITIONAL GOAT INDUSTRY Some of our synchronised pregnant ewes enjoying our farm made pellets. In goat farming, nutrition makes up 50% of the breed, we obsess over nutrition.
We aim to grow our breeding doe inventory to 100, by end of 2025, in accordance with the doe mix strategies outlined above. Secondly, we will be aggressively entering into the goat milk industry to capitalise on the untapped potential within this market as a blue ocean strategy. In the next 3 years, we envisage our goat mix to be 75/25 in respect of Saanen and Boers, respectively. Lastly, we aware of the carbon footprint created by goat farming. As an environmentally conscious farmer (tree hugger), we will be looking at sustainable and organic methods of feeding and breeding our goats with view to be net zero (crazy but doable). In many African cultures, the goat is seen as the “poor man’s cow”. The global trend towards healthy eating has catapulted goat farming in a billion-dollar business worldwide. Cultural norms are usually embedded and take generations to change. As farmers, we have a big role to break down these perceptions, by showcasing successful business and professionals, successfully breeding goats (role models). In addition, we urgently need a vibrant auction system for goats in Zimbabwe as the final cultural change lever so budding farmers can get markets for their goats. Let me bust a myth, there is no quick money in goat farming. Take your time to learn and continuously improve your goat management practices and the money will flow naturally. Keep in mind this is a 3/5-year project that will require substantial amounts of your time and money before you break even. Secondly, stop sitting on the fence, buy one local goats ($40) and see where this takes you. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step. Trust me, goat breeding is highly infectious and the lessons you will draw by a holding a few goats will serve you well in future. Most importantly, let’s have fun in the process and not be afraid to challenge the status quo. This industry needs more crazy disruptors to redefine goat breeding in Zimbabwe. Each us brings different perspectives that will enrich our breeding. COMMERCIALISING GOAT BREEDING TO TRANSFORM THE TRADITIONAL GOAT INDUSTRY
Obtaining pure Boer and Kalahari goat breeds (exotic breeds) is every farmer’s dream. Imagine waking up to see red heads or plain brown bodied animals amongst your herd. It’s a sight for sore eyes. However, obtaining the foreign breeds is expensive therefore there are cheaper ways in which one can obtain these breeds. There is a process which is called cross breeding. The process involves the mating of two animals from different breeds and in this case we are looking at mating two goats which are different breeds. As we all know, we have the foreign breeds like the Boer, Kalahari, Savana and the saneen just to mention a few. In Zimbabwe we have local breeds that is the matebele and the Mashona breeds. When we are cross breeding, we are mixing the local and the foreign breeds to come up with a hybrid. We are mixing the traits of the two breeds with intention of improving the local herd. Cross breeding has its advantages and disadvantages. To start with, it is a cheaper way of obtain these expensive foreign breeds. You take your local female (matebele/Mashona) mix it with a pure foreign buck (boer/Kalahari). The result is called an F1 and has 50% b foreign blood or genetics. COMMERCIALISING GOAT BREEDING TO TRANSFORM THE TRADITIONAL GOAT INDUSTRY They are resistant to local diseases and they are good sources of meat and milk. These breeds are highly fertile with 50% chances of giving up triplets. Boer/Kalahari goats on the other hand are good sources of meat and milk. They are large body framed animals. Its male can weigh up to 110kgs or more. It also has a high kidding rate of 1.5 that is 3 times in 2 years with 50% chances of twins and triplets or even quadruplets. Then once the f1 female is mature and ready for breeding, we use a different buck to mate with it and the result is called a f2 and it has 75% foreign blood. The cross bred males can either be culled for meat or used for breeding. Please note that these we use a different buck to avoid inbreeding amongst your herd. We repeat the same process again, take the f2 female once its ready for breeding and run it with a pure buck and the result is called and f3 with 87.5%. As we continue with the process, we go to and f4 with 93.75% then f5 with 96,9% and f6 with 100% blood. The f5 and the f6 will be pure breeds. To conclude, as a new and upcoming farmer, you can either do cross breeding or stud or pure breeding. Cross breeding will be good if you want to sell meat to the market or if you want to do pure breeding but do not have the funds to do so. CROSS BREEDING IN GOATS
Rolled Goat Offals Recipe The trick to cooking offals, however, is to ensure that your offals are very clean. After washing them, soak them in water with salt and a dash of vinegar. Ingredients * l300g goat tripe, cut and drained * l500g goat intestines, cut and drained * l2 large onions, quartered * lOlive oil Method 1.Wrap the goat intestines around the pieces of goat tripe. In a large pot, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and lightly fry the crushed garlic. 2. Add the chilli flakes, black pepper curry powder and coriander. Add the offals and cook until the water has finished. 3. Add the onions, one litre water and salt to taste. Cover and reduce heat and cook for 2½ hour. Check for readiness. If not yet ready, add more water and cook until done. 4. When you can pierce the meat with a fork, you add the tomatoes and 100ml water to thicken the stew. Serve with isitshwala and chomolia or any other vegetable of your choice. However, as this process is cheaper, it is time consuming. It may take years and years for one to get to the f5 and f6. It requires patience. As mentioned above, the sole purpose of cross breeding these two breeds are to come up with a product which will have both the characteristics of the exotic and the indigenous. The product is going to be a mixture of the local and exotic breed in one offspring. The genetics would have increased and the body size increases. The weaker breed is improved for better weight and growth rate. The indigenous breeds have a small body frame compared to the exotic breeds. A mature local breed may weigh up to 35 to 50kgs in weight. By Bridget Sibanda [email protected] +263785033527 COMMERCIALISING GOAT BREEDING TO TRANSFORM THE TRADITIONAL GOAT INDUSTRY https://www.facebook.com/profile.php? id=100067317973296&mibextid=ZbWKwL
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COMMERCIALISING GOAT BREEDING TO TRANSFORM THE TRADITIONAL GOAT INDUSTRY INTRODUCING GOAT BREEDING MASTERCLASSES AND BOOTCAMPS: EXPERIENCE THE ART OF GOAT FARMING! Are you eager to embark on a rewarding journey into the world of goat breeding, or seeking to deepen your expertise in managing the kidding process? Our goat breeding masterclasses and bootcamps offer a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience and knowledge in the picturesque setting of our farm! 1. One-Day Goat Breeding Masterclass: Join us for an immersive one-day masterclass designed for beginners who are eager to learn the essentials of goat breeding. You'll gain insights into best practices for care, breeding, and maintenance of a healthy goat farm. From understanding basic health needs to mastering daily routines, this class is tailored for anyone new to the world of farming and goat breeding. 2. 14-Day Residential Bootcamp: Dive into the full farm experience with our 14-day residential bootcamp designed for enthusiasts seeking a comprehensive introduction to goat breeding and farm life. Immerse yourself in the daily routines of goat farming, learn about routine vaccinations, deworming, record-keeping, and delve into hands-on sessions on creep feeding. This bootcamp is your gateway to gaining practical skills and deepening your understanding of goat farming. 3. 30-Day Residential Bootcamp for Experienced Breeders: For seasoned goat breeders looking to enhance their expertise, our 30-day residential bootcamp offers an unparalleled opportunity to work closely with newborn kids and deepen your knowledge of managing the kidding process. From birth to day 30, you'll be involved in every aspect of nurturing and raising kids, including routine vaccinations, deworming, and record-keeping. Plus, you'll witness live demonstrations on growing your own fodder, an essential skill for sustainable farming practices. Why Choose Our Programs? •Real-Life Farm Experience: All our training takes place at our farm, ensuring that participants receive authentic, hands-on experience in goat breeding. •Tailored Curriculum: Whether you're new to farming or an experienced breeder, our programs are thoughtfully crafted to meet the specific needs and skill levels of our delegates. •Expert Guidance: Learn directly from experienced professionals who are passionate about sharing their knowledge and best practices in goat breeding. By joining our masterclasses and bootcamps, you'll not only gain valuable skills and knowledge but also become part of a community of like-minded individuals who are dedicated to sustainable and ethical farming practices. Ready to embark on a journey into the world of goat breeding? Join us at our farm for an unforgettable and transformative experience. From novice enthusiasts to seasoned breeders, there's something for everyone at our goat breeding masterclasses and bootcamps. Contact us today to secure your spot and take the first step toward becoming a confident and skilled goat breeder on: [email protected] / +263775369910 https://www.facebook.com/BulembeFarm?mibextid=ZbWKwL
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